Vantage 960BA 6-string bass

1
review

Overall Rating: *****
The best part of this bass is its string spacing and its fantastic wood construct. I will be insuring this bass and try to get every possible aspect of its measurements to a luther, so he can build a custom model of this. This was an incredible find, and has propelled my playing light years ahead. I recommend to anyone who has one NOT to sell it, and just go ahead and change the pickups in there. I've spoken with the fine people at EMG, and they've pointed me towards EMG-40Js, which will probably fit the pickup enclosure without routing. Also, adding a EMG-BTS system will be really nice add-on to bring that punch out.
Price: $450.00 CDN
Where Obtained: Steve's Music Store Liquidation Center, Montreal (now closed)
Features:
-6-String; -7-ply NECK-THRU construction; -24-fret rosewood fingerboard; -passive J-Style pickups w/active EQ (volume, balance, bass, treble controls); -mahogany body; -maple neck; -beautiful cherry stain on body, neck maple color, gold hardware, black pickups. Amazing construction, poor electronics. String spacing is 6 strings on a 5-string neck (about 2.98", unusually very nice). Bass jack is of poor quality, and after several years cords will fall out.
Playability:
Off the cuff, the bass is one heavy piece of equipment. I had to get straplocks and get a foam-laden leather strap to comfort my shoulder for those longer sets. Access to the neck is amazing, the higher frets also. The neck itself feels narrower than a normal 6-string, which is something I love, and I will definitely get custom modeled-basses modeled specifically to this string spacing. The complete construction of this instrument is flawless, except for its hefty weight. I would have chosen ash or alder maybe for its body, just to add a little more sustain to it. However, the chosen wood makes its sound original, and has this rockin' tone.
Sound Quality:
The electronics on this bass are sh*t. I've been playing with these Vantage passive pickups for the last 7 years, and this is the next thing to go. I would think that loading the bass with EMG-40Js would make it really punchy, and bring out it's missing element -- midrange presence. The sound is very dark with it's original pickups, although nice harmonics can be pulled out of it with the proper amplification. Because of its weight, I would advise anyone who has one to keep it for a studio job, but if you have a really nice fat strap, then be my guest and go onstage. Another electronics flaw is in the pots - they have nice little holes in them that let dust go in frequently and make an unbearable scratchy sound when balancing out the pickups. The real sound comes out of the wooden construction, which could be taken to a much higher plateau with new electronics.
Durability:
I've knocked this bass to the floor many times, and it endures so much. As I've said before, the construction of this bass is absolutely flawless, and although it is hard to precisely adjust the relief and the truss on this bass (because of the massive neck), it is really remarkable how well this bass has held up over the years. However, again with electronics, I wouldn't leave this bass is a damp basement for 3 hours. The pickups will just rust in place.